Published 1:13 pm, Friday, January 17, 2014

HARTFORD >> Gov. Dannel P. Malloy joined state officials, local business leaders and military veterans Friday morning to promote the Connecticut Veterans’ ID Program.

In a press release from Malloy’s office, the program was described as an initiative from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), giving veterans the option to place an American flag symbol on their driver’s licenses or identity cards so they can easily show their veteran status. Businesses and service providers will be able to see at a glance that the veterans are eligible for discounts, programs and services available to this population.

“Although this program has been in effect for over a year now — and uses the same process to verify a veteran’s status as if he or she applied for a federal veterans’ ID card — some businesses in Connecticut have been slow to embrace this initiative. We are here today because we want that to change and raise awareness of this program so our veterans receive the recognition and considerations they deserve,” Malloy said in the release.

The legislation requiring the DMV commissioner to include a person’s status as a veteran on his or her driver’s license or identity card was signed by Malloy in 2011.

Each person eligible to have the flag marker must go through an application process involving a formal request to the DVA to verify his or her status; the DVA will then notify the DMV, which will issue the driver’s license or ID card with the new symbol.

Last January, the first cards with such a symbol were issued. The program also extends a free lifetime pass for state parks, forests, and recreational facilities to any resident who is a disabled wartime veteran, as defined under state or federal law.

“So many of our veterans face enormous economic challenges when it comes to readjusting to civilian life, and this is a small but important part of our effort to make that transition as easy as possible,” Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman said in the release. “I commend the businesses that are now honoring this program and urge all others to please consider doing so as a tribute to the sacrifices that these men and women made for our state and our nation.”

The DVA Commissioner, Linda Schwartz, said in the release that Connecticut is one of the first states in the country to adopt such a program, and it has been widely accepted by businesses and agencies across the country.

To obtain the veterans’ symbol on a driver’s license or ID, veterans must submit to the state Department of Veterans’ Affairs a completed application and proof of honorable discharge, such as a DD-214, at least 30 days prior to visiting a DMV or AAA office. The application may be downloaded by clicking the “Application for Veteran’s Flag” link on the DVA’s website at www.ct.gov/ctva. The symbol will be added to the veteran’s license or ID card with no additional cost when it is renewed or first issued. The symbol may also be requested by mailing an application and additional documentation to the state Department of Veterans’ Affairs at: CT Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Attn: Veteran’s Flag on Driver License or ID Card, 287 West St., Rocky Hill, CT 06067.